Article



Dados vol. 52 n. 3 Rio de Janeiro 2009

National policies and subnational implementation: a review of the decentralization of education in Brazil

Gomes, Sandra

Abstract

The article presents a revision of the strategies for national coordination used by the Brazilian federal government and proposes a conceptual distinction between norms dependent on subnational government's initiatives and norms that generate immediate effect. By tracking the decentralization policy of elementary schools, the study reviews the explanatory power normally attributed to one single national law (Fundef), a norm approved in 1996 which defined rules concerning the distribution and allocation of all educational revenues collected by or transferred to subnational governments. Other explanatory factors emerge as relevant to explain the outcome, especially the existence or absence of state-level programs with additional incentives to the national law.

Keywords: Fundef, States and Municipalities, policy implementation

DOI: 10.1590/S0011-52582009000300004

Full text

National policies and subnational implementation: a review of the decentralization of education in Brazil